Thank you, yes it was Charlie Stone.Harry Chitester lived in the yellow house on the hill overlooking Cross Fork. One morning I was walking along the Kettle only to find Harry fishing from the bank(with pipe in mouth).His roll casts were something to marvel at.Superb!!!

Harry Chichester (for some reason, I think that's how his name was spelled, but I'm not sure) was the prime mover in forming the Blair County Chapter of TU, now named the John Kennedy Chapter in honor of that hard-working conservationist. I ran into Harry C. on Kettle Creek when I was young and trying to learn to fly-fish. I don't recall his house; I think several of us visited him at a camper not far from the creek and were entertained by his stories. As I recall, he was quite a raconteur.I am sorry to hear that Kettle is not as good a trout stream as I remember it. I have not gone there for many years, too old to travel, I guess. I remember it as being a lovely creek in a gorgeous setting.

lv2nymph wrote:Not being a smart "A" or anything but is it considered bad form to comment on a old thread that someone new to the forum has relevant information on?

Agreed. In fact, Rangerwilly, the new guy on here, did a good thing. Rather than starting a thread about something that has been talked to death a hundred times, he went back to the archives and searched for topics that interested him.

BTW, what's your go-to trout fly?

That would be a dark brown mink bead head. Size 14, 1/8th" brass bead.A close second to that is a fox squirrel nymph (made from the hide no flash)

Posted on: 2013/8/29 18:02

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There is a need to fish, to be in the water. It soothes the soul...

The delayed harvest area just upstream from Route 144 has long period of recent trout population data. The data spans the years of 1981 to 1997. Over this period of monitoring, the biomass, density, and total number of individuals have declined in this area. Other reaches of the stream channel have not been as intensely monitored. Similar trends are evident from limited data elsewhere in the watershed. On Upper Kettle Creek at river mile 41.90, 1993 data showed brook trout biomasses of 49.36 kilograms per hectare. In 1999, brook trout were again surveyed in Upper Kettle Creek. Data collected in 1999 at approximately the same location as the 1993 data shows an average brook trout biomass of 8 kilograms per hectare. Analysis of the 1999 data shows that brook trout biomass remains high in headwaters streams while it declined in downstream reaches. In 6Chart 1: Brown Trout population has decreased significantly in the delayed harvest area.the headwaters of upper Kettle Creek, brook trout biomasses as high as 243 kilograms per hectare are reported. Although limited data is available for multiple years at the same location, comparison of samples through time at similar locations shows the trend of declining trout populations at a number of locations. The trends are similar for both brook and brown trout. The basis is of this project is to identify habitat and water quality concerns that may be contributing to declining fish populations.

Numerous data collection and habitat enhancement efforts are underway in the watershed. This strategic plan was developed for Trout Unlimited and the Kettle Creek Watershed Association to ensure that preservation and enhancement work is coordinated and produces maximum results. The goal of the plan is to provide a clear course of action to preserve and enhance the existing fishery in the upper Kettle Creek Watershed. Existing data was combined with newly collected data in the watershed to generate the information necessary to knowledgably develop the plan. With 67.3 miles of Class A trout waters, the upper Kettle Creek watershed is a cherished sporting and recreation area. Recent declines in fish population and density have caused concern about many reaches of stream in the watershed. With water quality rated as exceptional value and significant amounts of water quality data monitored to ensure that any decline in water quality does not go unnoticed, other factors for fisheries health were considered. In the upper watershed, despite excellent water quality, fish populations have slowly declined. Recent surveys by several local universities indicate that reduced quantity and quality of habitat as well as high water temperature may be impacting the fishery. High water temperature reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water making some areas uninhabitable by coldwater fish. Among the fisheries concerns, elevated water temperature and available, high-quality habitat are the chief concerns.

Also, there's a very detailed assessment of each section of Kettle starting downstream and working all the way up to the headwaters.

When I first started fishing kettle creek, I remember catching nice size wild trout in the catch and release area. This was in 1980.Shortly afterward, I started catching mostly stockers there. And I remember the PF&BC changing this stretch to delayed harvest for awhile - citing thermal issues as the reason for the change if I remember correctly.Then, after some stream improvements - I believe it got changed back to C&R

As for the rest of the stream - I would usually fish the larger water downstream around the dams. Always had nice hatches, and plenty of stocked fish rising to them there. And some years, when we had a mild summer with lots of rainfall - I would catch some nice holdovers the following year.

I rarely fish kettle creek now. However, in may 2012, some buddies of mine were camping at ole bull, and I spent a few days with them. And the fishing was quite poor. Of course, we had a very early spring that year, and the water had already warmed up quite a bit by then

I fished the main stem of Kettle in Ole Bull SP last September and caught nothing but wild Browns. My father caught a large (apparently holdover) Rainbow as well. They all appeared to be healthy fish.

We also fished it further downstream on that trip and caught some nice Smallies. I know they're not wild Brook Trout, but there's still plenty of fish in it, and it's still a nice stream to spend a Fall afternoon on.